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. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J.T.F.(10NTI'.

SYSTEM OI DISTRIBUTING GEAR FOR CYLINDERS OR OTHER. APPARATUS OPERATED BY MOTIVE FLUIDS- No. 554,111; Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

-III I WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS INVENTOH: I W

ANDREA! BIGRAHAM PHOTO-THO WASP (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. T; P. CONTI. SYSTEM OIv DISTRIBUTING GEAR FOR CYLINDERS OR OTHER APPARATUS OPERATED BY MOTIVE FLUIDS.

o0 N W M n m v w m m m a m n P c. 1, F 9% m /fli I u 2F J I 1.. m x x, 2/ l 9 Y W 5 & & 4.1 1 I a v F M 'NITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

JAMES TIBUROE FELIX CONTI, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SYSTEM OF DISTRIBUTING-GEAR FOR CYLINDERS OR OTHER APPARATUS OPERATED BY MOTIVE FLUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,111, dated February 4, 1896.

Application filed May 4, 1894. Serial No. 510,097. (No model.) Patented in France November 6, 1893, No. 233,873.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES TIBURCE FELIX CONTI, of the city of Paris, France, have invented a new and Improved System of Distributing-Gear for Cylinders or other Apparatus Operated by Motive Fluids, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in France for fifteen years, dated November 6, ,1893, No.

I 233, 873,) of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description.

In the numerous cases where steam, compressed air, or other fluid is employed as the motive-power agent and for operating accessory apparatus or machines for performing given work it is frequently necessary that an exact correlation should be maintained between the action upon said accessory apparatus and the precise moment of the action produced or of the effects thereof in the motorcylinder. I attain this result by means of the improved system of distribution which forms the subject of the present application for Letters Patent, and which consists in the means hereinafter described and claimed for actuating all the organs of distribution from the same shaft,so that only one motion is required.

The system is susceptible of numerous applications and generally in all cases in which the motive fluid serves either directly or otherwise to operate accessory apparatus appertaining either to the motor itself or to machines operated therefrom.

In order to define the invention I will describe one of the chief applications of my system to a compressed-air tramway-car wherein the air used for the motor is also employed to operate the brakes.

Figure 1 is a transverse section, and Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, of the distributing apparatus. Fig. 3 represents an accessory apparatus, which in this particular case serves to progressively regulate the pressure by which the brake-gear is operated.

It is supposed that the tram-car is provided with two kinds of brakesviz., an ordinary brake and a safety skidbrakeboth of which are operated by a compressed-air cylinder supplied from the reservoir or connected to a branch on the air-supply pipe to the motor. In this case when, on descending a gradient, for example, it is desired to apply first the ordinary and then the safety brake it is necessary to have previously 'shut off the air from the motor-cylinders. These different movements require to be effected successively in a given order, and there would be danger of injuring the machinery if this order were reversed. Myimprovementsrenderimpossible any such inversion, while simplifying the operation and combining the several movements in one. With this object I employ a single shaft A, extending the whole length of the framing of the vehicle and provided at each end with means (not shown) to enable the distributing mechanism to be operated while traveling in one or the other direction.

The distributing-gear is composed of four cocks R R R R operated in succession by a toothed segment P upon the shaft A, which is prevented from making a complete revolution by a double-acting pawl B B, hereinafter described, in the path of the projections 00 and 00 on the camS on the shaft A, the projection or: engaging the member B of the pawl and the projection 00 the member B.

In the present example the distributinggear is supposed to be applied to a system of tram-car propulsion in which two motor-cylinders of different areas are Worked on the compound principle. By means of the cock R the compound may in certain cases be replaced by simple action. This cock has four ways, the first, a, communicating with the admission to the large cylinder, the second, I), with the exhaust from the small cylinder, the third, 0,

with the open air, and the fourth, cl, with the compressed-air inlet from the reservoirs. The plug of this cock has two cavities for coupling the Ways in pairs. The position of this cock (shown in Fig. 1) is that for compound working-that is to say, the inlet-orifice d for compressed air from the reservoirs is closed and the eduction b from the small cylinder is coupled to the induction a to the large cylinder. On rotating the shaft A to a given extent in the direction of the arrow the toothed segment P gears with a corresponding toothed segment upon cock R and turns it. WVhen turned to its full extent the member B or B of the stop will meet the projection 00 or x of the cam S and prevent its further movement, thus placing the orifices c b in communication with each other at same time that orifice d is also put in communication with a, so

that the exhaust from the small cylinder will be open to the atmosphere andthe airpressure to the large cylinder. In order to then act on cock R as the stop B prevents further rotation in the same direction, the segment P must be rotated in the opposite direction, so as to return cock R to the position represented in Fig. 1 and continue the movement until the segment P gears with that of cock R In this figure the orifice 0 opens to the atmosphere, orifice (Z communicates with the reservoir, and orifice e with the induction to the small cylinder. The movement indicated would place the small cylinder in communication with the atmosphere, whereas it is shown in the figure as in communication with the pressure. In continuing to rotate the shaft A in the same direction it will be seen that the small cylinder remains open to the atmosphere. The toothed segment on cock R, which operates the ordi- V nary brake, is rotated by the segment P, so as to admit the air-pressure through orifice (Z to the cylinder which operates the brakeblocks, which it enters by passage f. The position represented in the figure shows this cylinder as being in communication with the atmosphere. The same effect is produced upon the cock R, by which the air-pressure is admitted to the safety skid-brake on continuing to turn the crank-handle.

From the foregoing it will be understood that in order to operate the brakes it is first necessary to put the motor-cylinders in communication with the atmosphere. As the stop B B is a double one, the movement of the cam will then be arrested, and it should be returned to the position for normal working. (Shown in Fig. 1.)

To guard against the effects of vibration, I provide a means for locking the toothed segments of each of the cooks in one or other of the extreme positions, consisting of a spring latch L, Figsl and 2, engaging in a notch in said segment. To enable the segments to be released the locking-leverLis provided with a friction-roller h bearing against the cam S, which is provided with swells suitably disposed for forcing the latch out of the notch. For certain purposes the admission of the motive fluid requires to be gradual as well in one direction as the other, and this is especially necessary in acting 011 the brakes. In order to produce these graduations of pressure in the several positions of shaft A, the regulating apparatus represented in vertical section in Fig. 3 is employed in connection with the distributing-gear. This apparatus comprises two parallel cylinders 0 0 connected by a passage 0. The cylinder 0 contains a double piston whose two heads 1) p are connected by a rod 15. The lower piston, p, is pressed by a coiled spring 7' bearing against the end of a loose sleeve 17?, having at its outer end a friction-roller g, which bears against a cam-disk D keyed on shaft A, whereby an inward and outward movement is imparted to the piston, the face of said cam-disk having inclines which act on the friction-roller g so as to produce the inward and outward movements of the sleeve. By the rising or inward movement the spring is compressed and caused to bear against the piston 1):. The cylinder 0 is also provided with a double piston p p united by a rod i and connected to that of pistons 17 p by links 1) b respectivelyjointed at Z l to a lever-arm Z, oscillating upon a center F. The piston 11 when in its position of rest is opposite to and closes the ports t, which communicate with an annular channel g to which the pipe 3 is connected. The space comprised between the two pistons 13 pis in constant communication with the pressure-reservoir, and is put in communication with ports 25 by the rising movement of piston 1), while its downward movement places the ports t in com munication with the upper end of the cylinder 0 which is open to the atmosphere.

The pipe 3 is in communication by the pipe 7) with the upper end of the cylinder 0, and the passage to being connected with the compressed-air reservoir the apparatus is connected by means of the pipe 3 with the pressure-inlet orifices d of the cooks of the distributing-gear corresponding to the brakes. So long as the sleeve m exerts no pressure upon spring 7, and supposing cock R to be open, the regulator will not admit pressure thereto until one of the inclines of cam-disk D raises the sleeve m, compresses spring 0', and slightlyraises piston 29 1). As this move ment, multiplied by the difference of the arms of lever L, will be transmitted to piston 13 p, the latter will uncover the ports 25 and admit pressure to pipe 3, and thence by pipe q; to piston 19, whereby the movement of piston 19 will be reversed and spring '2' compressed, the piston being thus returned to its initial position, in which equilibrium is again established when the pressure on the upper end of the piston 1) equals that of spring 0' beneath piston 12', the pressure on the spring being proportional to the height to which the sleeve m is raised. The downward movement of the sleeve produces a like movement of the pistons 19 19 The latter in uncovering the ports tand opening them to the atmosphere reduces the pressure upon piston 19 and establishes equilibrium between it and the spring.

I claim- 1. The combination with a series of valves controlling a fluid motive agent, the valves being arranged in circular series and provided with segments, of a lever mechanism comprising a segmental arm movable into en gagement with the several valve-segments, and means for imparting a rotary movement to said arm, and a stop preventing a complete rotation of such arm, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a series of valves for controlling a fluid motive agent, and means for actuating such valves, of an auxiliary controlling mechanism for the fluid motive agent, consisting of two cylinders having inlet and outlet ports, and a piston in each cylinder, the pistons having connection with each other and controlling the ports, thereby regulating the motive fluid passing from the valves to the .parts or mechanisms to be actuated thereby, substantially as described.

3. A means for controlling the admission of a fluid motive agent to a series of mechanisms or apparatus to be operated thereby, consisting of a series of valves arranged in circular series, an arm movable into engagement with 'said valves for operating the same,

distributing-gear for cylinders and other apparatus operated by motive fluids signed by me this 30th day of March, 1894.

JAMES TIBURCE FELIX CONTI. Witnesses:

CLYDE SHROPSHIRE, ALBERT MoREAU. 

